12.11.07
All interrogations should be taped
Many police departments have a rule that all interrogations should be videotaped. Not only does it obviate illegitimate claims of police brutality, not being advised of rights, etc., it also offers the chance to view the interrogation repeatedly as new evidence is found and other experts become available. It also eliminates things like this:
It’s getting easier to watch the watchers:
A teen suspect’s snap decision to secretly record his interrogation with an MP3 player has resulted in a perjury case against a veteran detective and a plea deal for the teen.Unaware of the recording, Detective Christopher Perino insisted under oath at a trial in April that suspect Erik Crespo wasn’t questioned about a shooting in the Bronx.
But the defense confronted the detective with a transcript it said proved he had spent more than an hour unsuccessfully trying to persuade Crespo to confess.
Perino was arraigned today on 12 counts of first-degree perjury and freed on bail.
My guess is that this sort of perjury occurs more than we realize. If there’s one place I think cameras should be rolling at all times, it’s in police station interrogation rooms. And no erasing the tapes either. (And those tapes must have been really damning. Old interrogation tapes can yield valuable intelligence; you don’t ever erase them unless you absolutely have to.)
